Israel has confirmed that Ihab Mohammed Abdel Qader Diab, a 36-year-old Palestinian detainee from Gaza, died while in detention nearly two years after the incident occurred. The Israeli Prison Service informed the Palestinian Commission of Detainees and Ex-Detainees Affairs on Sunday, August 9, 2026, about Diab's death.

Diab was detained on December 12, 2023, and the commission believes he died around September 18, 2024, after approximately nine months in custody. The commission alleges that his detention involved torture. Diab's family disputes Israeli claims that his death was due to health issues, asserting that torture was the cause.

According to the Palestinian Commission, Diab’s death brings the total number of Palestinian detainees who have died in Israeli custody since 1967 to 328, including 91 since October 7, 2023, with 53 of those from Gaza.

As of August 2026, Israeli rights group HaMoked reported that Israel was holding nearly 8,000 security prisoners, including 3,198 in administrative detention—held without formal charges on secret evidence under orders that can be renewed indefinitely.

Palestinian officials view Diab’s case as part of a broader pattern of Israel concealing the fate of detainees held since the war on Gaza began.

Sources